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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179122">Incompetence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EbbaTriesToWrite/pseuds/EbbaTriesToWrite'>EbbaTriesToWrite</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Booker | Sebastien le Livre Needs Therapy, Booker | Sebastien le Livre Whump, Drugged Booker, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:41:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EbbaTriesToWrite/pseuds/EbbaTriesToWrite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He had hurt them enough as it was, the least he could do was act his part.</p><p> </p><p>  <em>“Sorry.” he mumbled, “Got drugged.” they deserved some kind of explanation for his incompetence.</em></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>202</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Incompetence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Booker had never really seen himself as socially incompetent. He knew how to hold a conversation and what was and wasn’t appropriate in different contexts. But since returning to the others, he felt like he lost that knowledge. It took him a while to realise they wanted him to act like before and despite the uncomfortable feeling nestled in the pit of his stomach whenever he laughed with the others, he still did it. They wanted it and so he had no choice but to follow along. He didn’t want them to keep looking at him with those strange emotions flickering in their eyes; worry, anger, guilt, sadness? He never quite knew what those looks meant and so it was easier if he smiled with them. Their emotions weren’t as complicated then. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had hurt them enough as it was, the least he could do was act his part. It extended into hís usual roles; keeping them hidden and clearing their tracks, finding them safe houses and new jobs. Copley was a great help and although Booker’s feelings towards the man were less than… friendly after everything, he didn’t try to push him out. The others had chosen to work with him and had done so for upwards of a decade now, Booker was in no position to oppose it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, about a year into being back with the others, they were doing their first ‘high-end’ mission. They were to infiltrate a gala in London, art-works were being sold but Copley and Booker had found evidence that it wasn’t the only thing on the table that night. Andy had been frustrated when they proposed their plan, stating that she’d much rather find where the drugs were being kept than to hope that the people responsible would attend the gala. Booker had let Copley argue their case, the others were still apprehensive around him when it came to jobs and it stung a bit but he understood it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They relented eventually, realising that this meant they had a chance to cut the snake off at the head. Booker stuck to the edges of the ballroom as the others walked around and mingled, trying to find Mr. Pierce in the crowd. He had to resist stepping in each time a man crowded a bit too close to Nile or Quynh, reminding himself that they were more than capable of handling themselves and that they were to avoid suspicion at any cost. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the second hour there Booker was starting to worry that Pierce wouldn’t show and he felt anxiety gnaw its way up his spine. But then he saw him, and so did Andy. She strode over to him when he settled himself by the open bar, leaning against the counter with a seductive smile as she struck up a conversation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Booker let his gaze travel across the rest of the room, to where Joe was seemingly asking Quynh for a dance in a subtle attempt at getting her away from a sleazy old man. Booker caught his eyes as he led her to where other couples were dancing to the music and they grinned. Booker was already planning on looking up quite a few people in this room to see if he could get them caught for tax-fraud or something, he now had another on his list and he was sure Joe was looking forward to watching him set them up over his shoulder in a few days. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky was lingering near the bar to watch Andy’s back, a younger man was trying to talk to him and Booker couldn’t help but smirk at his desperate attempts to get Nicky’s attention. Nicky was incredibly skilled but something that had always been somewhat lacking in him was his ability to shift his attention. It had led to quite a few interesting situations. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Booker frowned when he realised he didn’t see Nile anywhere and cursed himself. His job tonight was to keep an eye on the others and he’d somehow lost track of their youngest. The anxiety was back tenfold as he flicked his eyes around the room, making sure not to look too panicked. He considered turning on the comm in his ear and asking but there were people around and he couldn’t risk anyone overhearing it, it wouldn’t matter if he spoke in another language, he couldn’t draw attention to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As carefully as he could he slunk out of the room. He’d looked over the blueprint of the building several times in the past week and he took off down a hallway, hoping to find somewhere secluded to try and let the others know of the situation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With adrenaline pumping through his veins he reached up for the earpiece but before he managed to make contact with it a hand clasped over his wrist and he whipped around to face a guard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Electronics are not allowed at this gala.” the man said in a too posh accent, obviously faked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Who do you work for?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Booker shook his hand free and feigned confusion, “My hearing aid isn’t working as it should.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man raised his brows, unimpressed, “That’s no hearing aid.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was cut off by a sharp sting in his neck and he whirled around to see another man behind him, he was really off his game tonight. He had both lost track of Nile and got snuck up on. Warmth flooded his body and he cursed under his breath as he swung at the new arrival but he was obviously trained as he easily ducked out of the way. The first man must have missed his attention because before Booker had any time to react he was stuck at the back of his head and crumpled to the floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’ll be incapacitated soon enough,” he said and kicked Booker in the gut for good meassure, “If anyone finds him they’ll think he’s drunk.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” the other man said with a chuckle, “let's warn boss.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. </span>
  </em>
  <span>How had he managed to fuck up this mission so badly? If the others didn’t want him out before now, they surely would now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck! </span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got Pierce.” Nile’s voice came through the earpiece and Booker had never before been so relieved to hear it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pain in his head and gut was already easing so Booker clumsily got to his feet, relieved that the ‘guards’ had underestimated him. Though they might not have, Booker realised when his vision swam as he finally straightened up. His skin felt clammy and his heart was still beating fast and he was distantly reminded of the sting in his neck earlier. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Head back to rendezvous.” Andy said and Booker shook his head in an attempt to clear it - it only served to make him more dizzy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced down at the empty syringe and pondered if he should take it with him, it might be useful, but the prospect of bending down made the nausea flare up and he didn’t want to risk losing his balance. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get back up. And so he stumbled through the hallway, pausing a few times to lean on the wall as his vision tunneled out or he felt like he might throw up. He needed to get to the others. He couldn’t keep them waiting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“God!” Nile’s voice in his earpiece made him startle and he was lucky he already had a hand braced against the wall or he surely would have fallen, his legs were too unsteady, “I can’t wait to get out of this dress!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re nearly there.” Joe said, “Get the car started so we can go right away.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d gotten lucky. His poor awareness of his surroundings hadn’t made them fail the mission but he couldn’t imagine the others would be happy with him when they saw the state he was in. It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten drugged but he’d usually have put up more of a fight, or whoever administered it had been more skilled, giving him somewhat of an excuse for ending up in the situation. He didn’t have that this time and he felt utterly embarrassed as he tried and failed to remember which way led to the exit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Booker?” that was Andy, at least Booker thought so, it was getting harder to focus, “Where are you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a clumsy hand he reached up to turn on his comm, “Nearly there.” the words were heavy in his mouth and he hoped they were at least somewhat clear enough to be understood, “Sorry.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” Nicky? or maybe Joe? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His legs gave out from under him and he didn’t even have the coordination to catch himself. The pain of breaking his nose was familiar and he groaned as turned his head to the side, cringing at the sound of the bone popping back into place. He thought he heard someone say something but the blood rushing in his ears was too loud. He wanted to get up but his body wasn’t listening. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” he mumbled, “Got drugged.” they deserved some kind of explanation for his incompetence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t aware of much more after that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Booker woke up to the rumbling sound of an engine and curses spilling from Andy’s lips in a too wide range of languages for his slow brain to comprehend. He could comprehend she was angry though and as his memories came back to him he realised why. Someone was running a hand through his hair and the kindness of the action felt undeserved, his eyes prickled with tears and he squeezed them shut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Booker?” Quynh said and the cursing stopped, “Are you awake?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” the apology automatically fell from his lips and he groaned as he pushed himself up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should be.” Joe said from the passenger seat but for some reason Booker didn’t pick up on any anger in his voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.”  he said again and glanced out the back window to see if Nile and Nicky were in the car behind them as planned, they were. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why the fuck didn’t you say anything?” Andy asked, voice sharp and capturing his eyes in a steely gaze through the rearview mirror. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-” he hesitated and cast a glance at Quynh, relieved to see she didn’t look too angry with him, “I messed up, I lost track of Nile and then I got intercepted by guards when I tried to contact you. Though I think they were Pierce’s men, I don’t think regular guards would drug someone.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think?” Joe echoed and Booker lowered his eyes to stare at his hands, when had he started fiddling with his ring? “That doesn’t answer the question though.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you say you’d been drugged?” Andy snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you,” Booker started, cursing the way his voice trembled, adrenaline leaving the system always is a bitch, “I messed up-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So?” Joe interrupted, “You could have been taken or killed and someone would have found out about what you are! Those people make drugs and you nearly handed yourself over to be their lab rat by not letting us know you were compromised! ” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hazy mind hadn’t even registred that major fuck-up, he nearly revealed them to the world again. No wonder they were mad. His incompetence really was sky-high tonight. He’ll have to look up flights as soon as they get back to the house, pack his stuff and hand over the research he’d been doing in preparation for their next job to Copley. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re not angry with you.” Quynh reached out to stop him from scratching at the back of his hand, “They’re scared.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Booker said dumbly and glanced to the rearview mirror, Andy wasn’t looking at him anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Joe found you just as Pierce’s men were attempting to load you into a truck when they realised we’d taken their boss.” Quynh rubbed her thumb over Booker’s palm, it was a calming gesture, Booker liked it, “We nearly lost you because we didn’t know you were hurt.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quit saying sorry,” Andy said sharply, “just don’t do that again.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be out by morning.” Booker said with a nod only to get Quynh’s sharp nail digging into his skin in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not letting you out of our sight, you idiot!” Joe stuck his head between the seats to glare at him, “We care about you! How long will it take for you to get that into your stupid head?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think he’d have an easier time believing you if you didn’t insult him every other word.” Quynh sighed, “No matter what you believe Booker, we’re not going to kick you out over a single mistake.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Booker didn’t know what to say to that so he just nodded dumbly, not quite sure if he believed it. But at least they wouldn’t be kicking him out over </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>mistake. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please let me know what you think! </p><p>Also! Pls come talk to me on Tumblr (I need friends):<br/><a href="https://ebbatriestowrite.tumblr.com/">EbbaTriesToWrite</a><br/></p></blockquote></div></div>
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